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Amy Vanderbilt, Emily Post and My Mother Are Turning Over in Their Graves
I suspect you were raised just like I was. As a polite young lady, one who knew and followed the rules of etiquette (a là those mavens of etiquette, Amy Vanderbilt and Emily Post), I was taught never to toot my own horn. Bragging about accomplishments just isn’t polite. Let someone else recognize your achievements, and if they mention them to you, just blush, and politely deflect. Do your best not to take credit, and certainly don’t make it sound like you’re proud of what you’ve done….as in “What, this old thing?…) (Unless, of course, you are male. Your rules may have been quite different!) That “don’t take credit” thing has plagued women (and some men) who start and grow businesses since the dawn of entrepreneurism, and it will continue to get in the way as long as children are raised to believe they aren’t supposed to own up to their accomplishments. It’s a demon we advocacy practice builders and owners must overcome if we want to be successful. Going against the grain of our upbringing is a lot like intentionally coloring outside the lines – easier for some and not easy at all for others. But today I will do just that – in part to just plain showcase my advocacy work over the past 9 years, and in part, to lead by example. If you are one of those “non-horn-tooters” – please pay attention. Some of you are familiar with my first book, You Bet Your Life! The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes (How to Fix Them to Get the Healthcare You Deserve). It was published to some critical acclaim and all 5-stars at Amazon (oh! it’s so hard to get past my upbringing to write those words!) in early 2010, just a few months before passage of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare.) So now, in 2013, it was time to update You Bet Your Life! before most of us truly begin to deal with the ACA…. and now, I’m pleased to tell you it has now been totally revised (believe me – like writing a whole new…